Improvement in horse hay-rakes



B. D. TABUR.

Hors Hay-BakBs. N0.15-7-,038.- Patented N 0v.,I7,1874.

WITNESSES.

lwvnjigii UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

BYRON D. TABOB, OF WILSON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOCLINTON D. TABOR, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAV-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,038, dated November17, 1874; application filed August 5, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON D. TABOR, of Wilson, in the county of Niagaraand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Horse-Bakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a horse-rake, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation referring to the annexed drawing, whichillustrates my invention.

A A represent the shafts, which are connected near their rear ends by across-bar, B, secured on their upper sides. Upon this crossbar the seatE is supported, as shown. The shafts extend a suitable distance in rearof the cross-bar B, and to the rear end of each shaft is secured acasting, C, from which extends the spindle a for the reception of thedriving and supporting wheel D, said wheel having a ratchet-wheel, 12,secured on its inner side, and the hub of the driving-wheel projectinginward beyond the ratchet-wheel. The head of the rake is composed of twobars, G and G, the latter being secured edgewise upon the upper sidealong the rear edge of the former. d d are the teeth, constructed ofwire, in the usual manner, their front ends passing through verticalslots in the lower edge of the bar G, on top of the bar G, and bent intoslots or notches made in the front edge of said bar G, where they areheld by means of plates 0 e fastened over them in the edge of said bar.At each end of the rake-head is secured a casting, H, which extendstoward the rear, and its rear portion is slotted'to pass over the innerprojecting end of the hub of the driving-wheel. On the outer side of thecasting H is pivoted a spring-pawl, f, to engage at certain times withthe ratchet-wheel b on the driving-wheel, as hereinafter described. Thecasting H is further provided on the upper side with a projection, h,and on the inner side with a curved projection, z. The axle-casting Ghas upon its outer side a pin, a, and upon its under side, near the rearend, a downwardprojecting arm with lug m. I I are the usual cleaners,attached to and projecting from the cross-bar B. Under these cleaners,and upon the rear ends of the shafts, is a bar, L, sliding upon pins orguides at n, and pressed rearward by means of a spring, 19. On top ofthe crossbar B is pivoted a footlever, P, made in L shape, its lower endforming a hook, s, to catch and hold the rake-head, said lever beingheld in position by a spring, t.

The operation 'is as follows: When it is desired to dump'the rake, pressdown the footlever P until the rake-head has passed down clear of it,when the lever is released. The teeth then draw the head backward, or,more properly speaking, the head and teeth remain stationary, while thewheel-hubs move forward in the castings H until the pawls f engage theratchet-wheels b. The head is thereby carried down, the lugs i on itscastings riding over the lower lugs m on the axle-castings O, which holdthe pawls and ratchets in gear until the lugs z have passed the lugs m,when the weight of the teeth and head carries the rake down, and throwsit out of gear. The lugs i now ride under the lugs m, the head goes upto place, and the projections h on the rake-castings H ride up in frontof the pins as on the castings O. This throws the draft on said pins,instead of on the hubs.

The spring-bar L assists in throwing the rake-teeth downward, which isnecessary, as they are partly balanced by the head.

When not in use, the rake-teeth are held up by means of a forked rod, R,hinged to the back of the crossbar B, which rod is thrown down and madeto straddle one of the teeth back of the head.

It will be noticed that the attachment of the teeth is low, and farahead of the axles of the wheels, by which means I do away with thenecessity of pressure on the top of the tooth to keep it down, giving achance to use a tooth that will run flat and easy along the ground doingaway with digging up the dirt. If such a tooth were dumped from thepoint of draft, it would lift the windrow bodily from the ground. Forthis reason I have arranged my rake to dump from another point, fromwhich it dumps very easy, assisted as it is by the weight of the head infront of the center.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In a horse hay-rake, therake head G, secured to slotted movable bearings, which extend back overthe axles, whereby the rake is made to draw and dump from differentpoints, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the rake-head G G July, 1874.

BYRON D. TABOR.

Witnesses: H. M. DAVIS, FRANK HAMLIN.

